Roller-skate



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T. 1-1. DANIELS.-

ROLLER SKATE.

No. 595,608. Patented Dee; 14,189

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T. DANIELS.

- ROLLER SKATE. No. 595,608. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

' UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

TAYLOR DANIELS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROLLER- -SKATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,608, dated December 14, 1897.

' Application filed December 3, 1896. Renewed September 13, 189 '7. Serial No. 651,534. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TAYLOR E. DANIELS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel construction of roller-skate improved in matters of detail with a view to rendering such a skate better adapted for its purpose than any roller-skate hitherto provided.

My improvements relate more particularly to the construction of the frame and to that of the rollers and the connection of the forward roller or rollers with the frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a roller-skate involving my improvements; Fig. 2, a view of the same in side elevation; Fig. 3, a bottom plan view of the same with the front rollers removed; Fig. 4, a section taken at the line 4 on Fig. 5 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 5, a section taken at the line 5 on Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 6, a view in front elevation, taken at the line 6 on Fig. 5, showing the modification of a single roller for the front end of the skate; Fig. 7, a section taken at the line 7 on Fig. 8 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 8, a longitudinal section of the spring-housing journal at which the attachment of the front roller or rollers is made, and Fig. 9 a section taken at the line 9 on Fig. Sand viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A is the foot-plate of usual general form,

carrying on its under side the longitudinal v truss B, formed, preferably, as shown, of two corresponding sections, each comprising the fiat neck portion 1', turned up at its forward end and through which each section is riveted to the other and expanded outward and widened toward its rear end to cause the truss there to embrace the rear roller 0 and afford bearingsfor its axle, as shown.

The parts thus far described, as well as other details hereinafter described of the bearings for the rollers, may best be formed by stamping them out of sheet metal. The plateA carries on its under side the toe-clamps q together with screw-adj ustable lever mechanism for operating them, all of a well-known construction and manner of operation and therefore requiring no specific description herein.

. From the bottom of the f00t-plate A, at a point in advance of the connection therewith of the forward end of the truss B, there projects downward in a backwardly-inclined direction a hollow journal p, having an expanded head 1), atwhich it is fastened to the footplate, and the longitudinal opening 0, Figs. 8 and 9, in which should be cylindrical to a point short of its inner end, whence it is constricted and of angular shape. An L-shaped bracket n'surrounds the end of the stem portion and is there rigidly fastened, as most clearly shown in Fig. 5, to the axle m, on the ends of which are journaled the two front rollers O and C the illustrated construction of which is hereinafter described, and the head end of thebracket 'n is hollow, affording a socket to receive and fit over the journal 10 up to an internal shoulder 11 in the socket, from which to the outer end of the opening the latter is constricted and of angular shape. The medium for retaining the connection of the bracket-socket with the journal 19 is a flat torsion-spring Z, extending through them and confined in place at the constricted angular end portions of the openings, which the ends of the spring fit snugly, by pins l and Z letinto the spring at its opposite edges through the head 10 and the bracket n.

- The rollers of my improved skate are rubber-tired in order to afford the well-known advantages of rubber tires, and the tires should be formed solid. The tires must be adequately hard for use on a roller-skate, and they must also be practically non-stretching to remain in place on the rollers. To enable such tires D to be applied, I construct each of the rear and front rollers preferably with ball-bearings, as follows:' About a flat metal ring '5, surrounding the ball-bearing structure, (shown in Fig. 4, but which need involve no feature of novelty and is not, therefore, herein described in detail,) are assembled the annular tire-rim sections it and h, each being formed with an outwardly-extending base-flange and a web extending perpendicularly therefrom and terminating in a head of the cross-section illustrated. In assembling the parts the section h should be first adjusted in place on the ring 1', whereupon the hard-rubber tire D is slipped upon the concave head of the section,when the seo tion it is applied to the ring, and the two sec tions are fastened together through their Webs, as by screws t engaging at their threaded ends with an annular washer 15, applied about the ring 1' against the inner side of the web of the tire-rim section It. The concave tire-rim D is formed by the heads of the sections h and h, and by the described sectional construction of the rim the non-stretching rubber tire D may be readily seated and seeurely retained thereon.

It may here be stated thatitis so desirable that the tire shall not stretch appreciably that I employ for my purpose a canvas wrapping about the rubber, which should be vulcanized into a condition of suiiicient hardness without rendering it too inelastic.

The parts of the roller-bearing of each roller may be applied to the shaft m after assembling the parts of the tire-rim and applying the tire thereon, and it will be noticed that the ring '5 and base-flanges of the tirerim sections seat and are confined between the annular edge flanges of the cups of the roller-bearings.

The spring Z not only affords the medium of fastening between the shaft m and footplate A, but it resiliently controls the steering function of the journaled connection be tween these parts, since when the skater turns in either direction the front rollers on the journal p the spring Z is twisted, and by its recoil when the strain upon it is relieved it rights the rollers.

The journal construction, moreover, renders my improved roller-skate readily interchangeable from the two front rollers to a single front roller, (shown in Fig. 6,) and vice versa, since to make the change it is only necessary to withdraw the pin Z, which enables the spring Z to be pulled out in separating the socket end of the bracket 01 from the journal 19.

The single roller C (shown in Fig. 6) mayinvolve the same construction as the rollers O and C but inasmuch as the connection of the bracket cannot, as with the pair of front rollers, be made between the latter with the axle m and must be made with the opposite ends of the latter the stem of the bracket is bifurcated or yoke-shaped, as shown at 'n'.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a roller-skate, the combination with the foot-plate and front roller of a journal connection between the two upon which the front roller is supported to turn axially in a horizontal plane, and a torsion-spring connected with the journal, substantially as described.

2. In a roller-skate, the front roller having a journal connection with the foot-plate, and a torsion-spring in the journal and affording the fastening medium between the journaled parts, substantially as described.

In a roller-skate, a foot-plate having a hollow journal extending from its base, a bracket having a socket-head surrounding said journal, said bracket being connected with the roller-axle, and a torsion-spring confined in said journal and socket, substantially as described.

at. In a roller-skate, a foot-plate having a hollow journal 1) inclining backward from its base and having its opening constricted and of angular form toward its upper end, a bracket having a socket-head surrounding said journal, said bracket being connected with the roller-axle. and the socket-opening being constricted and angular toward its lower end, and a torsion-spring in said journal and socket and confined at its opposite ends in the constricted portions of their openings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a roller-skate, the combination of a roller having a ring i, the annular tire-rim sections it and 71. fastened together about said ring, and forming the rim D, and a rubber tire D seated in the rim, substantially as described.

6. A roller-skate comprising, in combination, the foot-plate A, the truss B thereon having the rear rubber-tired roller 0 journaled in it and provided with a ball-bearing, a rubber-tired front roller provided with a ballbearing and having a journaled connection with the foot-plate, and a spring for resiliently controlling the turning of the front roller on said journal connection, substantially as described.

7. A roller-skate comprising, in combination with a foot-plate, a rear rubber-tired roller 0 provided with a ball-bearing, a front rubber-tired roller provided with a ball-bearing, a hollow journal 29 extending from the foot-plate, a bracket fastened to the axle of the front roller and having a socket surrounding said journal,and a spring I confined in said journal and socket and forming the connecting medium between them, substantially as described.

TAYLOR E. DANIELS. In presence of J. II. LEE, R. T. SPENCER. 

